British Muslims are breathing a sigh of relief

Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan could signal the end of an extreme and
harmful distortion of Islam

Photo: JOHN TAYLOR

By Taj Hargey

7:37PM BST 03 May 2011

It took the world's sole hyperpower almost a decade to corner its nemesis, and hold Osama bin Laden to account. The death of al-Qaeda's charismatic founder will not signal an immediate end to his notorious creation, which has transmuted itself into locally operated franchises in strategic parts of the Islamic world. Nor will there be any perceptible diminution of violence and bloodshed in the short term: indeed, the manner of his death, and the fact that he was buried at sea, even though he died on land, will only inflame al-Qaeda's sympathisers, and serve to cement bin Laden's iconic status in the eyes of his supporters.

Yet bin Laden's departure will have far-reaching consequences, both in Muslim countries and for Muslims within the West. Most importantly, it will stall al-Qaeda's recruitment drive. Ever since its creation, the organisation was shrouded in a deliberately cultivated aura of divine invincibility, as it combated and often thwarted the soldiers and intelligence services of the United States. Now that their leader is no more, his forlorn followers will assert that he is a martyr – but they can no longer claim that he enjoys God's protection.

Tellingly, there have been no mass demonstrations in Muslim nations, even in Saudi Arabia and Yemen – bin Laden's birthplace and ancestral homeland respectively. At a time when citizens across the Arab world are clamouring to overthrow their despotic rulers, the reaction to his sudden death has been pointedly muted.

Here in Britain – aside from the expected mutterings of fanatics on the fringe, who will lament the loss of their guru – there will be a collective sigh of relief throughout the British Muslim community, that the one person who did the most to sully Islam's peaceful teachings and polarise inter-faith relations is finally gone.

Until al-Qaeda's emergence some 20 years ago, British Muslims were well on the way to becoming fully integrated citizens, with any separatist tendencies and supremacist impulses finding a home only among the lunatic periphery.

Related Articles

Yet in the wake of Muslim impotence to resist Western hegemony in the heartlands of the Islamic faith, many marginalised members of the faith drifted towards religious extremism, under the galvanising influences of the extremist Wahhabi-Salafi theology advocated by the Saudis, and the political violence preached by al-Qaeda. Both argued that Muslims in the West could retain their distinctive identity only by remaining apart from mainstream society. Al-Qaeda, in particular, appealed to alienated youngsters by calling on them to redress Western-imposed historical injustices in Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

The result – particularly in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq – was a titanic struggle for hearts and minds, pitching moderate voices against this unholy alliance of obscurantist fanaticism and violent resistance. The most striking symptom was the almost universal adoption of superficial symbols that identified "devout" Muslims according to the fundamentalist narrative: the beard and face-masking burka, the head-covering hijab, as well as the increasing use of Arab garb and names.

These external emblems were complemented by repeated calls to introduce a system of sharia that has long passed its sell-by date. Indeed, the imposition of this antiquated, medieval legal code defies not only original Koranic precepts, but also common sense and logic. The promotion of sharia in Britain by Muslim hardliners, dancing to the tune of their paymasters overseas, has resulted in a dubious "Arabisation" of British Islam, and the importation of non-Islamic practices. These include a misogynistic mentality that regards women as chattels, and bans all intermingling between genders as irreligious – which, like other Wahhabi misinterpretations, is in clear contravention of Islam's transcendent text.

Sadly, within Muslim society over the past decade, a language of fanaticism, demagoguery and intolerance has become the theological norm. This is illustrated by the multiplicity of sectarian feuds and inter-denominational skirmishes. Excommunication of those considered to be outside the pale is widespread. And, with rare exceptions, moderate Muslims have retreated from the fight, failing to confront the pernicious impact of a militant Islam driven by the Wahhabi-Salafi sects and their al-Qaeda fellow travellers.

Now, with the death of the world's most wanted man, there is a golden opportunity for British Muslims to seize the initiative, and reject this perverted dogma. By returning Islam to its original and non-belligerent tenets, followers will become empowered to reclaim their faith. It is high time that British Muslims came out of their shells, and tackled the insidious ideology of both Wahhabism and jihadism.

For too long, moderate Muslims have surrendered the stage to radicals and extremists who have maligned Islam and distorted its pristine teachings. The death of Osama bin Laden is therefore a turning point. We must exploit this moment to restore progressive and pluralistic Islam to Britain, and openly jettison the monstrous deformity of the doctrines that he preached.

Dr Taj Hargey is chairman of the Muslim Education Centre of Oxford and imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation.